As Living Proof
by sonicsora
Summary: Every hundred years the barrier would flicker and weaken enough for monsters to pass through. The story was whispered from monster to monster. When it approached another 100 years, monsters would start spreading it again mostly out of habit. Toriel is living proof of that old story. A monster who escaped Mount Ebott, a monster hidden amongst human society. AU.
1. The Mountain

Another idea I've had rattling around in my head for awhile. Unlike my last Undertale fic, this is a strange little AU. Some characters are monsters, some aren't.

I'll definitely confirm off the bat though: Toriel, Dogaressa, Frisk, Doggo and Grillby are all monsters. I'm also taking some liberties with the magic in the game. The importance of Determination will still be there as well as souls, but I'm expanding a bit on Monster magic.

and also apologies for weak puns. Puns have never been my strong suit, but I shall succeed!

Flashbacks/Toriel retelling certain aspects will be marked with %'s since using italics for big chunks is tiring. I usually use * but is a grumpy creature.

#####

When she thought about Mount Ebott, guilt would wash over her. The guilt would soak through every logical response and argument she had. It left Toriel with little to do but avoid the thought as much as she could. Avoid dwelling of what she once called her home, much less the people she left behind. She picked up the human sensibility of ignorance. All her time with humans meant she had learned from the very best when it came to pretending all was well.

She grew used to ignoring the silhouette of the mountain in the distance. It was a faint shadow hidden by the spires of the city. The flash of lights and glow of modern technology offered some shield from the mountain. Even then, days, days like this she would find her gaze drifting towards it. The looming presence was not something that could be ignored so easily.

Toriel closed the curtains, blocking the view of the city and the mountain ever present in the distance. She couldn't handle this right now. The guilt was not something she needed in her day to day life. She had become someone else, not the guardian of the ruins.

The padding of Frisk's feet heading towards her was a good distraction, the sound yanked Toriel from her reprieve entirely. She gladly turned to face the child, summoning a smile to the surface for Frisk's benefit.

"Ah, my child. What do you need?"

Small hands grab onto her own, brown eyes peering up at her through heavy bangs. "Can you help me with homework?"

"Of course."

She laughed a little as Frisk tugged her towards the kitchen, school books and their backpack spread across the table. Sans was settled in a chair, helpfully placing colorful stickers on Frisk's pencil case.

"Those are supposed to be a reward for doing homework." She dryly intoned, finding comfort in her boyfriend's presence. The uncertainty of earlier fading with the time spent around her family. His dark tight curly hair and different colored eyes were something she always was drawn towards. Even now she wanted to mess up his hair.

"Frisk's earned it." He offered back with a quirk of his brow. "Our little overachiever."

Frisk signed something back, which only made the two adults laugh. Toriel moved to sit down at the free chair as Frisk clambered back into their seat between their parents. "Now you're underestimating yourself."

Math was never quite her strong suit, but it was easy enough with Sans there as well. The little goat monster learned quickly, far more quickly than Toriel did at that age.

She proudly placed one of the remaining stickers on Frisk's homework when they finished. Frisk proudly puffed up, only deflating a little when they glanced over at Sans, surprise taking its place. Toriel laughed more than she expected when she realized Sans had covered himself in stickers covertly throughout the tutoring. The three fell into laughter easily.

%%%%

Everyone knew the story by now. It was ingrained as the tale of how monsters came to be sealed in the underground. 'Every hundred years the barrier would flicker and weaken enough for monsters to pass through.'

The story was whispered from monster to monster in school yards, under fake crystal stars, into echo flowers in the dead of night and in heavy fields of snow. When it approached another 100 years, monsters would start spreading it again mostly out of habit.

Toriel had heard the legend for years at this point. As a child she heard it from a fellow classmate, a small froggit with watery eyes and quick nervous fingers.

She remembered how her mother had rolled her eyes irritably at the story being brought up in passing. The greying boss monster waving the idle words of idle beasts away with a dismissive snort.

'Don't believe everything you hear. It's a child's tale through and through.' Toriel repeated the same words back when other children brought it up around her, much less adults. She was a sensible person after all. Her mother had not raised a fool. A false hope was hardly worth the effort. Not that it ever stopped the talk from spreading.

"Do you think the barrier would weaken?" Dogaressa's voice broke the goat monster from her idle doze in the flowers. Toriel shifted, laying on her side to squint disapprovingly at the other monster. "Barrier weaken? Please don't tell me-"

Dogaressa held her paws up defensively avoiding Toriel's gaze entirely. "Hey! I'm allowed to think about it at least, Tori."

The goat simply rolled her eyes, laying more comfortably in the flowers. The one blessing of moving back to the ruins meant she could bask in the fields of flowers growing under the opening overhead. The ruins had the one opening that showed the sky, it was the only time she could see stars or the sun in some capacity.

"Yes, yes you are fully free to think that. We both know it can't be real though."

"Well, why can't it be?" Dogaressa poked at her friend trying to coax a smile out the other monster to some degree. The prodding was doing wonders as Toriel's irritated frown started to weaken considerably. A smile was threatening to overtake her.

"Because, we both know anyone who tries it likely falls down from it." She waggled her fingers menacingly back at her friend for emphasis only warranting another poke from Dogaressa.

"I really doubt the barrier turns you to dust, Tori. I mean… only the royal family can really access it. If something happened to one of them, we'd know." There wasn't much gossip that didn't get around in the underground. The lack of anything really changing made everyone take quick notice of even the slightest shifts.

"Nothing has happened because they're sensible enough to not bother." Her words only made Dogaressa groan before flopping back into the flowers dramatically. "You sound just like your mom and it is truly terrifying."

"Ressa-" Toriel wasn't sure if she should be offended at the implication on her behalf or her mother's.

"Well, you do." The thought of the Protector of The Ruins made the dog monster glance warily in the direction of Toriel's home in the distance. "Nothing wrong with that of course." She gave a nervous laugh, half expecting the older goat to just appear as she tended to do.

Toriel rolled over fully to face her friend and start liberally poking her. Dogaressa barked in surprise, quick to retaliate against the onslaught. The two easily fell into the familiar poking match, eventually the situation dissolved into a giggle fit.

Dogaressa grinned back at Toriel as she stretched further across the flower patch. Toriel just watched her friend, a warm fondness settle in her chest as the dog monster relaxed under the warm sun beating down on the pair from above.

Toriel hesitated for a moment, gazing up at the small chunk of sky they could see before she found her thoughts running away with her before she could get her mouth under control. "Why did you ask about that myth anyway?"

Dogaressa opened her eyes, squinting at her friend. "Well, it's almost been another 100 years now. We could try it within the next month or two." Toriel opened and closed her mouth for a moment, confused by the sudden rush of mixed feelings.

"Of course, that would only require breaking into the royal palace." Toriel blustered back, stumbling over her words as she wrapped her arms around herself. The thought was exciting and terrifying.

"I've been training to be a royal guard, Tori. I can tell you, the king never locks his doors."

Toriel's brows went up at that, ears flattening against her skull aghast at her friend's words. "Should you really be telling me this?"

Dogaressa just squinted back at her friend a few moments longer. "Not like you're going to do anything with it."

Toriel just knitted her fingers together over her chest, staring back upwards. Placated by the truth in Dogaressa's words. As a frown curled across her features uncertainly. "Yeah." She was a sensible sort. A sensible sort who wouldn't use that information.

She drifted easily back to a doze, inhaling slowly as sleep settled over her like a well worn quilt. Dogaressa's warmth next to her was a comfort in the slight chill filling the cavern.

###

She gave a slow exhale, lashes fluttering as wakefulness prickled at her mind. Her fingers were knitted together over her chest, head lulled back onto her pillow. Sans warmth next to her was a comfort in the chill of the morning.

Familiarity of pieces of events left her feeling dazed as she rested a hand against her forehead. "Ah." The dream had been unexpected, a faded memory from what felt like a lifetime ago. With some reluctance, Toriel eased herself out of bed moving to turn the alarm off. For once she woke up before the alarm could go off.

The boss monster only glanced back at the bed, smiling somewhat when she saw Sans buried under the heavy patterned quilt covering their bed. Knowing Sans, he wouldn't be up for another hour or two. The man was not made for mornings, much less being awake at times.

The goat closed the door quietly behind herself, glad to fall into her usual week day routine. Start up some coffee, make Frisk a lunch for school and make breakfast. The tasks kept her mind busied and full, away from the nostalgia that nipped at her heels. She snapped Frisks's lunch box closed when she finished packing it up. Turning to pull out her usual morning breakfast pans.

Frisk's arrival was a quiet one, but the soft padding of their feet and the small arms wrapping around her best they could was the way the boss monster knew her child was up.

"Good morning, my child." She shifted in their loose grip, crouching to give the smaller monster a better hug. "Did you sleep well?" She had to crack a smile at the haphazard ruffled nature of their fur. "It certainly looks like you did. Goodness."

Frisk snorted audibly at the comment, "Geeze, mom." The goatling stood up on their tip toes to press a kiss against Toriel's forehead.

Toriel gladly returned the gesture, pulling away to ruffle Frisk's hair once again. The goatling made a disapproving sound at that, fluffing up further. "What do you want for breakfast, dear?"

"An omelet?"

"That I can do. Get comfortable, dear." She moved to get breakfast going, gladly falling back into the familiarity of the task. The only disruption from the usual was Sans blearily stumbling into the kitchen's doorway. "Babe, omelets?"

Toriel felt slightly thrown off, but smiled back at the chubby human in the kitchen doorway. "Do you want one as well?"

"Please. I'm starving over here." He lurched towards one of the free chairs at the kitchen table, slumping into it gladly. Their morning routine flowed as normally as ever after that, Frisk inhaled their breakfast, ran off to change and brush their teeth. Sans more leisurely ate his meal, making conversation with his girlfriend as she made herself an omelet as well.

Frisk only reemerged briefly, partially dressed to drop off their backpack on the kitchen table vanishing back down the hallway towards their room. "Don't forget your homework." Sans lazily called back, propping his chin in his open palm. Toriel hummed lowly in agreement between bites of her breakfast, smiling wryly as Sans kicked his legs up into her lap.

"I see you're feeling comfortable."

"Hard not to be." He answered content to lounge like this with his partner. "You're pretty cozy."

"Don't get too comfortable, one of us has to walks Frisk to school." She leaned over to press a quick kiss against Sans's nose.

"I can always walk 'em to school. You've been handling it most of this week."

"It's flu season, dear. You're immune system can barely handle Frisk, much less other children." Sans shrugged at her words, "I can just wear a mask, let Frisk draw a face and all."

"That would be fun…" She mused simply in turn. Though any further pondering was interrupted by Frisk's re-arrival to the kitchen, fully dressed and homework in hand. The little goat quickly scrambled over to open their backpack and put their homework in its proper folder.

"Hey, kiddo. Want me to walk you to school today?"

Frisk's gaze snapped up, excitement clear on their features. Toriel had to stifle a laugh at that, she had forgotten the fact Frisk hadn't quite seen a lot of Sans this past month. They signed a vigrious yes.

"Cool. Lemme grab a mask and marker. You can draw whatever on it. We got the time." Sans shifted, his legs off of Toriel's lap, settling feet on the floor. Toriel continued working on her breakfast, smiling a little at Frisk taking Sans seat. The goatling bounced in their stolen seat, wiggling happily.

Sans for being casual as possible, reappeared quickly from the bedroom, fully dressed, marker and mask in hand. "Get that imagination going, kid."

Frisk popped up in their seat, taking the pen and mask happily to draw. Toriel rose from her seat, clearing off the table and placing the remainders of their breakfast in sink.

"Nice work, kiddo. I was feeling in a cat mood today." There was a shuffle as Sans slid his mask on. "Now I'm all dressed, you better finish up too."

Toriel turned to glance over at the pair, feeling a little sad to see Frisk's real form slowly hidden by the glitter of magic. The goat monster replaced by a small human child. Frisk checked themselves over before grabbing their backpack to slide it on.

"Be careful you two. No short cuts!" Frisk just groaned in disappointment at that, wilting slightly. Sans reached out to nudge Frisk towards the kitchen doorway. "You heard the lady, c'mon kid."

The sound of the door closing and rush of water from the sink left Toriel with her thoughts. She opened the blinds to steal a glance at the mountain. She was almost disappointed at the heavy cloud cover filling the skyline.


	2. Broken Promises

To help clear up any confusion here since back on AO3 where I originally posted this a few folks got confused.

None monsters: Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Catty, Bratty, Asgore. I'll clear it up as any other characters pop up. I'm going for a sense of mystery on who is what.

#####

Her teeth ached in such a way it startled Toriel awake, fur standing on end and heart racing as she sat up.

The lack of Sans next to her only made the feeling worse. Toriel rolled her eyes in irritation at her apparent clinginess. She rose from the bed to grab her bathrobe. She slid into it trying to shake off the remainder of the dream.

"I'm a grown monster for goodness sake." She muttered to herself, preferring irritation to the prickling of loneliness settling low in her belly. The loneliness was only made worse when she wandered the apartment trying to empty her mind.

She had forgotten Frisk was at a sleepover this weekend. She had even left herself a note on the fridge to try and stifle the usual panic that came from separation. Toriel thought after years of being so alone she would be able to wear it like a badge, like a shield against everything else.

Instead all it did was drain her.

She threw together a sloppy breakfast and turned on the radio in the kitchen so she felt less alone. The songs being played only reminded of her Asgore and left her frustrated.

She rose from her seat, changing the station to something else before going about her business. Falling into routine eased the sourness of her start. By the time she was dressed, Toriel realized there was a message on her answering machine. She had time to listen to it before work.

She reached out prodding the play button. "My apologies for calling at such an early hour, but I have a request. If a Toriel Ziege lives here, please tell her to call me. I wish to speak with her-" The familiar voice made Toriel reach out and slam her finger down on the delete button.

" _Asgore_."

%%%

She lingered at the doorway, feeling out of place amongst the rush of people she had only met hours before. Music blared overhead, droning out the crowd. Were all human weddings like this? A sea of strangers? Humans who would never truly know her beyond being Asgore's bride?

Toriel's fingers tightened around the doorway as she watched the humans mingle. She had to wonder what her mother would think of all of this.

"Tori?" Asgore's voice distracted her from peering out at the crowd. "Are you well?"

"Ah, yes-" She stepped away from the door smiling at her new husband. A rush of affection rising to the surface at the blonde man. His blonde hair was a bright contrast against his naturally dark skin. "Just a bit overwhelmed."

"Weddings can be a bit of a debacle." He agreed reaching out to touch his hand against her cheek. "You'll adjust soon enough." Toriel leaned into his palm, seeking some form of comfort. She closed her eyes, her own hand rising up to rest over his own. "I hope I do."

"We're going to make our entrance soon, so if you need to sit down, now would be the time." He gently lead her away from the door towards a chair. Toriel smiled at the attention, happy to be in her partners presence. The one human who proved he was full of compassion and kindness. A human who proved the old stories wrong so easily. "I can always get you some tea?"

"I'm sure we'll have tea during the dinner. I can wait on it." She gladly settled into the chair, leaning back into the wall behind it whilst smiling up at the man. "I must admit, I'm still stunned. We're _married_ now."

His smile could light up a room in Toriel's estimation. "Yes, we are- I, I hope my crying earlier didn't ruin things."

She reached out to pat his arm fondly. "Hardly. It was very sweet. Somehow I knew you would tear up at the vows. My silly, sweet fluffybuns."

He flushed under her touch. "Golly."

She snorted at that, her hand finding his again. "You're adorable." Asgore just squeezed her hand, seeming to want to say something. His words were interrupted by the bridesmaids and groomsmen coming up by the doorway.

"Now, now, you love birds." A lithe blonde woman teased, "Save the sweetness for dessert." Her comment earned a bit of laughter and only made Asgore turn even redder. Toriel blew out a sigh, releasing her grip on Asgore's hand.

She stood up, leaning against her husband now, smiling as the bridesmaids and groomsmens left the back room in pairs one by one to hoots, hollers and excited cheering of the crowd. Toriel threaded her fingers with Asgore's own, smiling at him. "Shall we?" He smiled back at her. "We shall."

####

The cheering, chanting and shouting made Toriel sigh audibly. She dusted her hands off on her jeans as she glanced out of the barred window of the pawn shop.

"Lemme guess, you forgot about the football game going on?" Catty question with a sly grin. She rested her chin in her hand, leaning forward to peer at her employee. "Kinda surprised, I mean it's all anyone's been talking about for months!"

"I'm not much for sports."

"We figured!" Catty and Bratty chorused from behind the register. Toriel laughed a little, moving to check the locks on cases again before moving behind the counter herself. "I'll be relieved when things settle down."

"On this side of town? Get real, Tori!" The two naturally had a shared response, laughing easily. "On this side of town? You must be dreaming!"

"Yes, yes I know." She held her hands up in surrender as the younger woman teased her. It was a familiar pattern for her shifts at the pawn shop. Catty and Bratty were cheerful if not boisterous young women. The merriment in and out of the store was a relief against what likely lay in wait for her at home. Asgore wasn't about to give up too easily.

He was good at two things in Toriel's mind, persistence and murder. The thought made her grimly chuckle to herself as she finished shuffling through the stock in the back.

"Now, now, you love birds." She called when she emerged from the backroom, catching Catty and Bratty exchanging a kiss. "Save that for later. We have a business to run."

The two just laughed, mutually turning red. When they thought Toriel wasn't looking they would hold hands occasionally, giggling even when caught.


End file.
